59 Nima kids’ fate in limbo

Uncertainty has characterized the education of fifty-nine(59) pupils of the Nima 1 Basic School many months since they wrote their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

The near indefinite withholding of their Mathematics paper by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has thrown the children into the streets; some of them almost giving up any hope of proceeding beyond the Junior High School (JHS) they reached before their predicament.

A distraught chairman of the local Parents’ Teachers Association (PTA) Jibril Muhammed said when he came to the newsroom that ‘getting parents to get their kids enrolled in schools has never been easy and so when such a challenge crops up it makes the situation precarious. One parent has, for instance, said his kid should be content with the JHS level he has attained.’

The PTA Chairman who has been engaged in a lone campaign of encouraging parents to have their kids enrolled and stay in schools has, in view of the situation, asked that the authorities should have WAEC expedite action on the paper they claimed they found anomalous so that the children can proceed to the SHS.

According to him, following the development ‘we have written to the Metro Director Of Education on 12th September 2017 but to date nothing positive has emanated from the correspondence.’

The correspondence authored by the PTA Chairman reads ‘We the PTA of the 2017 JHS THREE pupils wish to appeal through you to WAEC concerning the Mathematics results of our children that have been withheld by WAEC.

We wish to appeal for the release of the result of our children so our children can also be placed into their respective Senior High Schools before the deadline.’

A long list of signatures of aggrieved parents has been made available.

The children loitering in Nima who should have been at school in an era of free SHS could be some of those whose Mathematics paper was withheld over suspected examination malpractice.

According to the PTA Chairman, he has learnt that WAEC claims that almost all the pupils scored similar results in the subject, a coincidence which he added, incurred the suspicion of the examination authorities.

While some parents are disturbed about the situation others showed apathy finding the development a means of savings for them. The PTA Chairman has vowed, however, to fight to have the children progress to the SHS stage now that the expenses are being borne by the state.